US reveals Iran is still targeting Trump with ‘lethal plots’ as DOJ gives update on hacking of his campaign
- The Justice Department has charged three Iranian agents with campaign hacking
- And the US attorney general said officials were ‘following Iran’s deadly plans’
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US security officials are still monitoring Iranian plots to assassinate Donald Trump and other prominent figures, according to the country’s top law enforcement official.
Attorney General Merrick Garland provided an update on Tehran’s efforts to disrupt the 2024 elections on Friday as charges against three members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were unveiled.
βFew actors in this world pose as grave a threat to the national security of the United States as Iran, a state sponsor of terrorism,β he said.
βIran’s malign activities are wide-ranging.
“The U.S. government is closely monitoring Iran’s deadly plans against current and former U.S. government officials, including former President Trump.”
Soldiers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) march in formation during the annual military parade to mark the 1980 Iraqi invasion, which led to an eight-year war (1980-1988); in Tehran, Iran, September 21, 2024
Security around the former president was tightened after he survived an assassination attempt in July.
A second suspected assassination attempt was thwarted earlier this month.
There is no evidence that Iran was involved in either.
But this week, Trump was briefed by security officials about Iranian plots to kill him.
The former president demanded that President Joe Biden threaten to blow up Iran if he was harmed by them.
βWe are working to investigate and disrupt Iran’s funding and support Hamas Hezbollah and other terrorist groups, and we work relentlessly to expose and counter Iran’s efforts to sow division, undermine confidence in our democratic institutions, and influence our relations,β Garland said.
Trump’s campaign revealed in August that it had been hacked by Iran.
Several news media reported that they had been offered campaign documents but declined to publish them.
The charges against three Iranians were unveiled on Friday.
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday announced criminal charges against Iranian agents suspected of hacking Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and distributing stolen information to media organizations
Garland also said officials were “tracking Iran’s deadly plans against current and former U.S. government officials, including former President Trump.”
The indictment alleged that the three men β all members of the IRGC β were involved in an extensive hacking campaign that began in 2020. They targeted US officials, journalists and campaigners in an attempt to undermine the democratic process.
The indictment alleged that the three men β all members of the IRGC β were involved in an extensive hacking campaign that began in 2020. They targeted US officials, journalists and campaigners in an attempt to undermine the democratic process.
The charges include identity theft, wire fraud and computer fraud.
It reveals how Iran stole debate prep material from the Trump campaign and tried to send it to the Biden camp on the day of the first and only debate between then.
Garland said all three live in Iran, making prosecution unlikely.
At the same time, the Ministry of Finance announced sanctions against seven members of the IRGC
And the State Department said it was offering rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of the three defendants.
Iran, for its part, described the accusations as “unfounded and without any status.”